


Dead And Gone.

by ZedWishes



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Bugs & Insects, Head Archivist Martin, I'm Thinking Of Expanding On This Idea But Also Hmmm, Jon Dies During The Infestation, Jon Has A Cane, M/M, Post-MAG39, Semi-Graphic Description Of Decomposition, cursing, only once
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:41:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21694039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZedWishes/pseuds/ZedWishes
Summary: Jonathan Sims is dead, and Martin can do nothing about it.
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan Sims
Comments: 5
Kudos: 66





	Dead And Gone.

**Author's Note:**

> I've had the idea of Jon dying in the Institute for a while but only now have decided to actually write the whole thing out. Like I said in the tags I might explore this idea a bit more in another one shot or maybe a series? It depends on if people want to see Head Archivist Martin grieving and kicking himself abt Jon's death and basically an entire AU where Martin takes up the job. Anyways, enjoy. :)

Jon's body lay there, decomposing. Martin estimated it had been about a few days since his death. Flies were already starting to swarm his body. How they had even gotten into the tunnels was a mystery to him. They were just... eating him. The worms had shrivelled up and died, still poking out of holes in his skin. Martin had to keep himself from vomiting on the desecrated corpse of his loved one. He kept it together, though. For Jon.

After Prentiss's infestation, after finding Gertrude's body, after all the quarantine procedures, he never saw Jon. He assumed that he escaped, as Elias told him the fire suppression system had killed all the worms and gave Tim a clear way out, but Jon wasn't there. Maybe he went home, Martin had thought. Maybe he was exhausted. After all, he had just been attacked by Jane Prentiss... or, what used to be her. Even though this sounded reasonable at face value, Martin still had his doubts. Jon would have wanted everyone's statements. He knew how thorough Jon was in his recordings and investigations, even when he "didn't believe", so why wouldn't he be like that after a real paranormal experience happened to him directly? He had also asked Tim about Jon, but he had just given him a sad look and walked away. Martin knew he had to find out what was going on.

Martin had been sent home, worries over Jon plaguing his mind. Elias told him to take a few weeks off while the Institute was doing renovations, but he just couldn't. After a couple of days, he went back in the dead of night and decided to take another look through the tunnels. He was scared, but his worry over Jon pushed out all the apprehension he felt. Martin had assumed he wouldn't be in the tunnels, but it was always good to exhaust all possible options. He also had no idea where Jon lived. 

So, he had opened the trapdoor, torch in hand and many more in his bag. He had also stolen the keys from Elias's office, which was easy. He never left his office door locked for some reason. The trapdoor was easy to spot with the amount of caution tape that covered it. When he had descended the steps, he had felt his feet hit something hard and wooden near the bottom. When he had shone his torch on it, he had realized it was Jon's cane. It had taken all of Martin's strength not to burst into tears right then.

He had taken it, and carried it through the tunnels. Maybe Jon had escaped and just forgot it? It was unlikely, as he had only ever forgotten it once. Deep down, Martin had probably known the truth, and maybe he already knew what he was doomed to find in the tunnels. But he was still surprised when he found Jon's decaying corpse. 

So here he was, standing in front of his crush/boss's body. After staring at it for about a few minutes, the reality still hadn't set in. It was only until he remembered that he was clutching Jon's cane that he finally stopped spacing out and took a good, long look at his body. He was dead. Gone, no longer living. And then he started to cry. He cried for what felt like hours, still holding Jon's cane. His snot and tears glistened off of the cane's surface, and Martin knew that if Jon were alive, he would never let Martin live with himself, dirtying up his cane like that... it was a stupid thing to think. That would never happen. He was fucking dead. 

Martin had no idea how long it had been when he finally stopped crying. He hadn't brought his phone, or even a watch, so time was a mystery to him. All he knew for sure was that he was very dehydrated and he also hadn't brought any water. Silently cursing himself, he glanced back over to Jon's body. It somehow looked even worse than when Martin had first laid eyes on it. Martin didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay right here, maybe even...

No. Jon would want him to stay alive. To continue his work. Martin didn't know why he assumed Jon would want him to keep recording statements, he just... knew. In his heart. So Martin got up. He didn't even notice he was still holding the cane until his grip faltered and it dropped out of his hand, clattering to the floor of the tunnel. Martin shone his torch on it, hesitating. He then picked it up and placed it in Jon's crusty, decayed hand. However, after he did this, he noticed something in Jon's other hand. 

It was a tape recorder. Almost immediately after noticing it, he hurriedly reached down and snatched it. And then, he hit the play button.

"Hello, th-this is Jonathan Sims, Head Ar- Ahem. Former Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute. Tim... left me here. The worms started swarming me and he ran. I don't blame him. It hurts so, so m-"

Jon's scream could be heard on the tape, making Martin wince.

"I... I don't have much time. Whoever finds this, you have to keep investigating. You have to find out what this place is hiding. Plea-"

And then Jon screamed again, and the only sounds that could be heard from the tape were the sounds of the worms burrowing into Jon's skin. Or, at least, that was what Martin assumed was happening. He was glued to the spot, just listening. The sounds never stopped, though, not even right before the tape ran out and the recording ended. And when it did, Martin just stood there, utterly silent. He couldn't even get any tears out. He knew what he had to do, though. He was already going to do it, but after hearing Jon's last words, it was like a fire raged in his heart, urging him to do it even more. He gripped the tape recorder tightly as he tried to find his way out.

When he got back up after what felt like an eternity of exploring, he made his way to the upper floor, back to Elias's office. Elias had copies of every key to every office, including Jon's. So, Martin put the key to the trapdoor back in it's place on the hook. He shone his torch along the wall where the key hooks hung from until he saw a label titled "Archivist's Office". He grabbed the key and made his way back downstairs. He kept his torch on, not risking turning the lights on for fear of someone outside noticing. When he finally found Jon's office, he put the key in the lock and twisted.

When he got in, he wasn't surprised to see boxes everywhere. There was one labeled "Discredited", one labeled "Unread", and one labeled "Problematic Files". The real Archive was in another room, but Jon's office still had shelves upon shelves of files. Jon's chair sat behind his desk, completely still. When Martin took a seat, the chair's hinges squeaked, surprising him a bit. He got over the feeling quickly, though, and looked at the tape recorder still in his hand. Then, he pressed the record button. 

"Statement of, uh, Martin Blackwood, former Archival Assistant and now Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, regarding his findings inside of the tunnels under the Institute. Statement being recorded on either August 1st or 2nd, 2016. Statement begins."


End file.
